Quilt month is almost over..........

September has really gone by fast. I cannot believe that tomorrow will be the last day of the month!! When Joanna at Mr. Monkeysuilt came up with the idea to post photos for a quilt month, I was there and I have really enjoyed sharing the photos and stories about many of my quilts. I haven't shared hardly any quilts the last few days, though, so I decided I better correct that! Most of the quilts that I have shared are vintage ones, but I wanted to share the only "commissioned quilt" that I have ever done. The quilt - and it is just one quilt even though it looks like there are two quilts because there are two photos - hangs in the youth section of the Prior Lake Library. It is one of three commissioned items by local residents that were selected for permanent display at the library. Designs had to be submitted along with some background info and my design was one of the three selected. The other two items were a pottery relief series created by Chuck Deckas and a series of framed photographs by Marlene Vogel, and all of us were from Prior Lake (MN).
My design was based on memories of years of visits to the library and volunteering there, too. We spent lots of time at the library especially when my kids were small. As I said, the piece is actually one quilt. I designed it as two individual quilts that I stitched together with a top and bottom casing. When the spring/summer side of the quilt is hung, then the fall/winter side is actually upside down on the backside of the quilt. And vice versa when the fall/winter side is hung, then the spring/summer is upside down on the back of the quilt. Twice a year the quilt is flipped so each side gets a "rest". And I hope that all makes sense.

The spring/summer side shows two kids (based on, but not meant to be my kids) reading under a tree. The skateboard symbolises the number of kids who were always skateboarding outside the library and the girl is reading a book about "dance" because there was a dance studio attached to the library. The farm in the corner recalls the lovely old historic Kopp farm that used to sit near downtown until the city tore it down (progress, you know), and the tiger lilies and bachelor buttons grew in yards of homes on the walk to the library. There's a duck in the pond because this was after all a community with "lake" in it's name in a state known for it's "10, 000 lakes".

Again, I thought of my kids when I sketched the boy and girl for the fall/winter side and the fireplace that was in our living room. We almost never used it, except at Christmas as it wasn't very heat efficient. There's a lake scene over the fireplace, a reference to main lake that is Prior which connects to Spring Lake. In the summer, they are both busy lakes with loads of speed boats, sail boats and skidoos (and in winter, of course, there is ice fishing and snowmobiling). I added the bookshelf filled with books which is just like the one we had (and still have) in our house that was made by my dad in high school shop class in the 1940's. That's my grandma in the portrait above the bookcase. I used a variety of fabrics, threads and paint for the rugs, the fire in the fireplace, flannel for the tree trunk, fleece for their sweaters, etc.

It's a neat feeling to know that the quilt is on permanent display at the library. While I talk a lot about our new house and the new town we live in, I haven't forgotten the place where our kids grew up. It's just that it was time to move on. I'm lucky, though, because this quilt remains and so a part of me and of my kids remain there, too.

There's one other little piece I did for the library but I don't have a picture of it. One of the nicest features at the Prior Lake Library is a large beautiful fireplace and etched on the glass screen is a little design of stacked books that says "Prior Lake Friends of the Library". I drew the sketch and it was used on bookmarks, T-shirts, etc. and unbeknownst to me, when the fireplace screen was ordered, they added that sketch. I participated in the Friends for a number of years and enjoyed doing volunteer programs (clay-crafting, felt projects, May baskets, valentines, quilting, etc. etc. ) at the library for kids and adults that encouraged them to learn new skills and check out books to learn even more. And I joined the Friends group here in Henderson because I love the library and could not live without one!!

That's all for tonight. Only a day away from the posting of the item that I'll be offering on the "Fall into Fall Giveaway". Be sure to check back on Oct. 1 and see what that will be!!!! Plus, later in the week, I'll be showing photos of those packages and swaps I've received and I'll be debuting the "Pickled Pink Pincushion", so stay tuned.....................

Oops, one more thing.....I finished a sample block for the Christmas Cottage Swap that Nanette of Freda's Hive is hosting. It was a fun block to do and "sew" easy!! Now that I made my sample, I'll have to decide what fabrics to use for the blocks that I'll send for the swap. Wonder if I'll have enough Christmas fabric? Ha, ha. :-)